


Damsel in Distress

by deductionz



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Bar/Pub, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Bartender Bitty, First Meetings, Flirting, Happy Ending, M/M, Mugging
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-04
Updated: 2017-09-04
Packaged: 2018-12-23 14:42:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11991885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deductionz/pseuds/deductionz
Summary: The music in the club is deafening and Jack would rather be anywhere else. Unfortunately, the rest of the Falconers dragged him out to celebrate them making the playoffs. Jack has blown them off too many times already for him to be able to escape again. But things are far more eventful than he anticipates.





	Damsel in Distress

The music in the club is deafening and Jack would rather be anywhere else. Unfortunately, the rest of the Falconers dragged him out to celebrate them making the playoffs. Jack has blown them off too many times already for him to be able to escape again. 

He’s surrounded by sweaty bodies, jostling him as he makes his way through the crowd. Much of the team is already drunk, and he can hear Tater’s loud voice cheering and laughing, even over the thumping dance music. He can see them all dancing, encircled by overjoyed fans and a swath of women. The air is thick with the smell of alcohol, sweat, and too much body spray attempting to cover it all up.

Jack’s chest tightens as he searches for an escape from the overstimulation. He sees an open spot at the end of the bar and rushes for it, desperate for a cold drink to soothe his dry mouth. He slides into the stool and sighs with relief, the trembling slowing down in his legs and hands.

“What can I get for you, sugar?” A southern drawl asks him, holding the sound of a sweet smile. Jack looks up and is speechless at the sight of the bartender before him. He’s a small but muscular thing, hip cocked to one side as he pours a drink for the customer to Jack’s right. His hair is a sunshiny blonde, gelled and styled perfectly despite his constant rushing around. The bartender looks up at Jack to make sure he was heard, and Jack feels those chocolate eyes melt a piece of him.

The bartender, Eric, his name tag reads, smirks and slides the drink across the bar to the other customer.

“Still tryna decide?” Eric asks, gesturing to the small paper menu sitting on the counter in front of Jack. Jack blinks rapidly and clears his throat, shifting self consciously.

“No, I… Eh, No. Just a water for me, thanks,” Jack manages to get out, rubbing the back of his neck. He feels his face go red as Eric nods and reaches for a glass.

“Keeping things simple, I appreciate that on a busy night,” Eric laughs fondly, filling the glass with spring water and placing it in front of Jack before rushing off to service the next patron. 

Jack downs the water in a few large sips and runs his fingertips over the damp glass. He frowns to himself as his heart hammers in his chest. A crush on the cute bartender? He couldn’t be serious.

* * *

Jack remains at the bar for the rest of the evening, letting himself find comfort in Eric’s charming personality. He never actually buys any alcohol, but Eric seems perfectly content with refilling his water every now and again. And somehow, despite the busy nature of the club that evening,Eric manages to upkeep conversation with Jack. He sticks by his side the entire time, offering him sweet smiles and companionship.

When the rest of the Falconers start to clear out and Jack finally has an excuse to leave, he finds himself hesitating. He never wanted to come out and celebrate, but Eric made the night much more bearable.

“I better get out of here,” Jack said, leaving some cash on the bar counter. “The rest of the guys are starting to clear out, I should make sure they get back to their rides alright,” he says, sliding out of his stool.

“Well Mr. Zimmermann, I hate to see you go, but I loved having your company tonight. Congrats on the win and I’ll be cheering y’all on from back home!” Eric says cheerfully as he puts the cash in the register.

“Thanks, Eric, I appreciate it,” Jack smirked. “Thanks for saving me from the awkward position of not wanting to drink tonight,” he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “They party a little too hard for me.”

“Anytime. You’re always welcome to hang out with me up here,” Eric said cheerfully. “And you can call me Bitty, by the way, most people do,” he adds, cheeks blushing softly.

“Right. Well, Bitty, I hope you have a great night, and I hope to see you again,” Jack says, smiling with the use of the nickname, before turning away and heading back to the parking lot with the rest of the team.

* * *

Jack manages to haul all the drunk players into Ubers and cabs home, and sends the sober ones off on their way. It’s nearly half an hour later when Jack himself finally climbs into his truck and leans his head against the steering wheel with a sigh. The clock on the dash reads three in the morning, and his body is heavy with fatigue.

He scrubs his hands over his face and clicks on the seatbelt. Slowly pulling toward the exit, Jack looks both ways to check for anyone coming, and stops short when he sees Eric leaving the bar.

 _Must be the end of his shift,_ Jack thinks to himself. Eric’s head is down as he looks at his phone, tapping away as he walks gingerly to his car at the far end of the lot. Jack feels a twinge of guilt for watching Eric so obviously, but the smaller man doesn’t even notice him.

Unfortunately, nor does Eric notice the man emerging from the shadowy edge of the parking lot, dark hoody pulled low over his eyes. For a moment, Jack is paralyzed with fear as the hooded man stalks over to Eric. Just as Eric reaches his car, the man comes up behind him and shoves him against his car door. That was all it took for Jack to burst from his car and surge across the parking lot to help.

“Get off me!” Eric cries out, voice shrill with fear. He struggles against the man, but the attacker is much stronger and manages to snatch away Eric’s phone and wallet. Jack’s heart is racing as he crosses the lot in long strides, and he doesn’t even hesitate to throw his arm around the neck of Eric’s attacker. He drags him way in a choke hold, the thief sputtering with surprise and anger.

“Drop it, now,” Jack growls in his ear, tightening his grip around the attacker. Eric’s mouth drops open in surprise at the sight of Jack fighting off the thief, chest heaving as he tries to calm down. The thief drops what he stole and Eric snatches it up quickly, dialing the police. Thankfully the police station is only a few blocks up the road, and they respond within minutes. The thief eventually stops trying to kick his way out of Jack’s grasp, knowing he’s fighting a losing battle.

“Jack, I- I don’t know what to say,” Eric says breathlessly once the police have arrested the attacker and taken him away. He leans up against his car and wraps his arms around himself.

“You saved my life, I don’t know how to repay you,” Eric adds, throat going dry as he tries to fight off tears. He surges forward and throws his arms around Jack, burying his face against the brunette’s chest.

“You don’t have to repay me, I just did what anyone would have done. I’m just glad I was here when you needed me,” Jack said, gently placing a hand on Eric’s back. Eric sniffles and pulls back so he can look up into Jack’s eyes. He wipes his tears away and smiles up at Jack.

“Can I at least try to make it even by taking you out to dinner sometime?” Eric asks shyly, cheeks flushed. Jack’s eyes widen and his heart thrums in his chest. He can’t help the small smile that spreads across his face.

“I think that’ll square things away,” Jack chuckles softly, reaching up to gently wipe away one last tear that escapes down Eric’s cheek. Eric smiles and leans into Jack’s touch before taking out his phone and opening up the contacts app.

“Here, I- Well, my phone screen is cracked now but I think you should still be able to enter your number alright,” Eric smirks, handing Jack the phone. Jack happily enters his number before returning the phone to Bitty’s pocket.

“I’ll text you soon,” Bitty says, turning to unlock his car and climb in to head home. He clicks on his seatbelt and blows Jack a playful kiss.

“Thanks again, for everything,” Eric adds before driving off toward home. Jack smiles and watches him go before heading back to his own car. When reaches his apartment across town and finally climbs into bed, the clock may read five in the morning, but he doesn’t mind. He won’t complain about celebrating with the guys anymore either, if this first eventful outing is anything to go by.


End file.
